Waratah Weekly - Term 4, Edition 5 - Friday, 5 November 2021

Message from the Headmaster

What are you looking forward to? This year has been tough with lockdowns, delays and cancellations of events, limitations on who we have been able to visit amongst other challenges. But we also have a lot to look forward to now that our community is beginning to open up with more freedoms. There is a great psychological benefit in "looking forward". You probably remember as a child how you were looking forward to Christmas morning and seeing those presents around the tree. Or looking forward to your birthday, or Easter, or a special holiday. As we look forward, we are filled with a sense of anticipation and excitement and I fear that we have lost some of recently. So what are you looking forward to? I am looking forward to seeing my older boys who live in Queensland. I am looking forward to a week away with my family over the Christmas holidays. There are also smaller future events that I am looking forward to. I look forward to having a movie night, going to the beach, going out to dinner. I have looked forward to getting back to Church in person and have been enjoying this again. I am sure that our Year 12 students are looking forward to finishing their exams. Just as the rest of our students are looking forward to the end of the year and upcoming holidays. Looking forward is a skill that we can and should practise regularly so that we can live more optimistically as we create a better now, in line with the better future we are anticipating. And for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, we are able to look forward to a perfect future, one that is completely free from all suffering.

"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all".
2 Corinthians 4:17

Mr Trevor Norman
College Headmaster

From the Deputy's Desk

Updated Timetable 
Due to staffing changes, there will be an updated Secondary Timetable commencing next week (Week 6). Students should be able to access this on the weekend via Edumate.

Everyday Resilience Lessons for Kids
Muscles need to be exercised daily if they’re to remain strong, flexible and do their jobs. Resilience is no different. If it’s not exercised regularly our resilience will waste away.

Resilience is developed through regular daily use. Here are some simple ways you can encourage a child or young person of any age to flex their resilience muscles every day.

Wait until mealtime
Discourage them from random snacking when they are hungry. Encourage them to wait until mealtime. By tolerating minor discomforts such as hunger, thirst or even some worries, kids get the practice needed to help them manage bigger future hurdles that may come their way. You can build your child’s tolerance of discomfort by encouraging them to delay immediate gratification even just for a few moments.

Do more than expected
Great sportspeople routinely train more than others and push through mental and physical boundaries. Encourage your child to push through boundaries and do more than expected in small ways. Perhaps they don’t just clean their bedroom but tidy the living room as well. They may aim to shoot 10 goals in a row at basketball practice but keep going until they reach 15. Going past the finish line is wonderful resilience practice. What else can you do that would encourage your child to do more than expected on a regular basis?

Save pocket money
Did you know that when you encourage your child to save some of their pocket money rather than spend it immediately you are teaching them to delay gratification, an acknowledged resilience attribute? Asking a child to set aside some pocket money for saving, some for charity and some for spending will help develop a balanced use of pocket money. It helps if a child can develop their own savings goal, and parental suggestions can assist. The delay of an immediate reward to achieve a greater or later reward needs to be practised if it’s to become part of a child’s pattern of behaviour.

Make the bed
Resilience comes from doing things that we don’t feel like doing and making a bed is one thing few people enjoy. The daily habit of making a bed (to the best of a child’s or teen’s ability) is a brilliant discipline to develop, which has the bonus of setting kids up well for a productive day at school. What other simple habits fit into the “don’t-like-to-do” basket that benefits either your child or others in the family?

Help when you don’t feel like it
It’s easy to help at home when they’ve had a good day at school or the weather is fine. It’s much more difficult to step up and help set the table, put the rubbish out or hear a sibling read when they’ve had a bad day at school or the weather is stinking hot. The seemingly small act of sticking to commitments develops discipline and conscientiousness that contributes to a sense of resilience.

Smile when you don’t feel happy
Feelings may be difficult to manage, but behaviour is a choice. Encourage kids to choose to be happy, or at least act happy by smiling rather than putting on a grumpy face. The brilliant thing about this strategy is that smiling changes their mood so that they begin to experience pleasant emotions.

It’s the small, everyday behaviours we encourage in kids that have the greatest impact on their behaviour, wellbeing and resilience.

Michael Grose (parentingideas.com.au)

Mr Ian Croger
Deputy Headmaster

Pastoral News

The Power Of Perspective - What Do You See?
All individuals have a perspective that drives how they view the world, how they interact and communicate with others, how they manage challenges, risks and opportunities. A person’s perspective on a circumstance is highly influential upon the meaning they give to an event or experience, with subsequent thoughts, feelings, decisions and outcomes that follow, as a result of their perspective. Perspective can be viewed through the lens of positive vs negative, optimistic vs pessimistic, good vs bad, beautiful vs ugly, valuable vs invaluable, meaningful vs meaningless, and so on.

In general, the perspective an individual chooses to take is applied to most, if not all situations and circumstances throughout their life, either enriching their experiences or leaving them feeling frustrated or unsatisfied. For some, the contribution is the driver, where every experience, interaction and choice they make is viewed through the lens of how they can contribute to others, which determines their decisions and actions. For others, fear is the driver, which makes them extra cautious to take on new things and stops them from doing many of the things they want. For some, adventure is the driver, which is shown through their free spirit, love of challenges and enjoying what life has to offer.

The perspective that drives humans can range greatly from the safe, known and low-risk people, to the free-spirited, entrepreneurs and high-risk takers. The variance in these individuals’ perspectives is highly influential to the life they lead, the choices they make, the outcomes they achieve and the meaning and purpose they choose for their life.

We all have the ability to look back at life experiences and learn … What were the positive things that came from the bad? What was learnt? What benefits emerged? What meaning was assigned to the life experiences? History, although may be painful for many, is not all bad, as there is always learning, growth and the opportunity to change and be better, available to every individual who wants a new perspective to drive their life.

Think about your own life perspective ... how do you view experience past and present? Working through this thinking and meaning is empowering, as all individuals have the power to change their life perspective and as such, change their life for the better, through new decisions and actions.

Mr Liam Toland
Director of Pastoral Care T-12

Secondary News

COVID Safe HSC Examinations 
Year 12 students will commence their HSC examinations on Tuesday, 9 November 2021 and I would ask that you be praying for our students as they navigate this stressful time. We have some very strict guidelines that need to be followed to help protect the students throughout this period. Your help is greatly appreciated in this by not accessing the Warne Auditorium or the adjacent carpark. The carpark will be used by the Year 12 students both for parking and for the screening process. The Little Elves After Hours Care will run in White Cottage during the examinations.

Year 11 Yearly Reports 
Year 11 Reports have been distributed to students this week. Please take the time to read these carefully and reflect on the progress that has been made throughout the year. This is a good time to have a conversation between parents and their child about future goals and aspirations. Reflection and self-evaluation is an important skill and one that can help us to constantly grow and improve. I would like to encourage all students to carefully read their reports and think about both their strengths and weaknesses and what opportunities are presented for further growth as they commence their HSC year. It may be helpful to consider finishing each of the statements below:

1. ‘The strengths I have consistently shown across my courses are…’
2. ‘The comment I am most encouraged by is...’
3. ‘The area of application that I could improve the most is...’
4. ‘As I begin Year 12, the area I need further help with is...’
5. ‘I am keen to improve…’

HSC Showcase Website
The College HSC Showcase Website is now live and ready for viewing. Help us celebrate the incredible achievements of our 2021 Year 12 HSC Students by viewing their works via the link below.

www.wachscshowcase.com

Mr Paul Burns
Director of Teaching & Learning 7-12

Performing Arts News

Some Restrictions Eased
Restrictions guiding Ensemble practice have been eased which will allow some of our Ensembles to restart rehearsals. This will impact our College Strings, College Cheer and Dance Company Ensembles. Other Ensembles will continue with previously published arrangements (see last week's Waratah Weekly).

College Strings
Thursday rehearsals as normal with some students onsite (see below) and others attending by Zoom if they can. The group will rehearse outdoors under the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter with two Year Groups in attendance, separated by adequate distance.

Week 6 - Years 7 & 8 attend, others Zoom if they can OR just rehearse the pieces they are working on when they get home. Email Ms Bridge if there are any issues. Film/record as needed.

Week 7 - Years 9 & 10 attend, others Zoom if they can OR just rehearse the pieces they are working on when they get home. Email Ms Bridge if there are any issues. Film/record as needed.

Week 8 - Years 11 attend, others Zoom if they can OR just rehearse the pieces they are working on when they get home. Email Ms Bridge if there are any issues. Film/record as needed.

Week 9 - Years 7 & 8 attend, others Zoom if they can OR just rehearse the pieces they are working on when they get home. Email Ms Bridge if there are any issues. Film/record as needed.

College Cheer
Wednesday rehearsals as normal with some students onsite (see below) and others rehearsing with the choreography videos Miss Valente has provided. The group will rehearse outdoors under the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter with two Year Groups in attendance, separated by adequate distance. Year 9 students should discuss options with Miss Valente.

Week 6 - Years 5 & 6. Year 5, please meet Miss Valente at the front of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter. Year 6, please meet Mrs Kluit at the back of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, others rehearse with choreography video at home. Film as necessary.

Week 7 - Years 7 & 8. Year 7, please meet Miss Valente at the front of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter. Year 8, please meet Mrs Kluit at the back of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, others rehearse with choreography video at home. Film as necessary.

Week 8 - Years 5 & 6. Year 5, please meet Miss Valente at the front of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter. Year 6, please meet Mrs Kluit at the back of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, others rehearse with choreography video at home. Film as necessary.

Week 9 - Years 7 & 8. Year 7, please meet Miss Valente at the front of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter. Year 8, please meet Mrs Kluit at the back of the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, others rehearse with choreography video at home. Film as necessary.

Dance Company
Wednesday rehearsals as normal with some students onsite (see below) and others rehearsing with the choreography videos Miss Valente has provided. The group will rehearse outdoors under the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter with two Year Groups in attendance and each separated by adequate distance. Year 12 students will rehearse in Johnson 11. 

Week 6 - Year 12 meet in Johnson 11, others rehearse with choreography video at home. Film as necessary.

Week 7 - Years 9 & 10 meet at the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, Year 9 will meet near Sturt and Year 10 near Cook. Others will rehearse with choreography videos at home. Film as necessary.

Week 8 - Years 7 and 8 meet at the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter, Year 7 will meet near Sturt and Year 8 will meet near Cook. Others rehearse with choreography videos at home. Film as necessary.

Week 9 - Year 12 meet in Johnson 11, others will rehearse with choreography videos at home. Film as necessary.

Mrs Sarah Talbot
Performing Arts Coordinator T-12

PDHPE News

PE and Dance Practical Lessons
As a result of a timetable change that starts at the beginning of Week 6 (Monday, 8 November), there have been some slight changes to the PE and Dance Practical Lesson Schedule, when students need to wear their sports uniform to College. These changes are circled in the updated schedule below. Students impacted by this change have been emailed and spoken to by their classroom teacher. If you have any questions please contact Mr Hewitt (PDHPE) j.hewitt@wac.nsw.edu.au or Miss Valente (Dance) k.valente@wac.nsw.edu.au

Mr Josh Hewitt
PDHPE Coordinator

Sport News

Congratulations to Connor Miller (Year 11/12 2022) on being selected into the Illawarra Academy of Sport for Hockey!

The IAS Hockey Program is designed to support the developmental needs of the regions young talented Hockey athletes by providing industry-leading high-performance sport development programs. Scholarships are offered for a 12 month period commencing in October and concluding in September. However, there is a heavier focus on the program from September through to the State Team Selection Trials in April. The aim of the program is to provide additional skill development on top of club or school-based training.

Humanities News

Reaching Out For Expert Legal Assistance
The College is considering an entry into the Law Society of New South Wales Mock Trial competition in 2022. This competition has been running since 1981 and is of immense value in terms of introducing students to the NSW judicial system by providing practical experience into the running of a court case in a true-to-life adversarial setting. Students learn advocacy, debating and problem-solving skills. It is open to schools across NSW for students in Years 10 and 11.

We are reaching out for some (pro bono) help from a parent/friend of the College who is either a solicitor or retired solicitor and can provide coaching to our students on the practices and procedures of a court case. This assistance would be fully supported and facilitated by the relevant Humanities staff member.

Please contact Mrs Trudy Miller (t.miller@wac.nsw.edu.au) if you can help.

Mr Jay Hart
Humanities Coordinator

UOW Enrichment Opportunities

From January 2022, the University Of Wollongong Learning Labs at the Wollongong campus return. There are enrichment activities available for students in Years 1-10 over various dates. If you are interested in attending any of these Enrichment Programs, applications close on Wednesday, 17 November 2021.

Further information can be found on the website.
https://www.uow.edu.au/engage/outreach-pathways/learning-labs/wollongong-learning-labs/

Unfortunately, it doesn't appear that the Learning Labs are returning to the UOW Southern Highlands campus in January, however further information and updates will be released on their website.

Mr Stuart McIntosh
Advanced Learning and Learning Support Coordinator T-12

Library News

Last Book Club for the Year! 
The final Book Club Catalogue is now available. This is the Christmas catalogue and will need to be ordered by Monday, 8 November to receive before the College breaks for Summer Holidays. All orders are to be made through the LOOP App or online at scholastic.com.au/LOOP

Years 7-10 Click and Collect for Library Books 
This Term, we will be running a Click and Collect system for library borrowing. This will be useful mostly for Years 7-10 but is available to all Year Groups. Students can access the Library Catalogue from the Student Cloud in Secondary eResources. When they have found a book to borrow, click on ‘Reserve’ and the book(s) will be delivered to your classroom by library staff. There is a limit of four reservations at a time for Secondary students. For any questions, please contact Mrs Colombo: j.colombo@wac.nsw.edu.au

Primary Library Notices
Some students will receive notes home this week about overdue Library books or Home Readers. The main purpose of this is to correct our records before the end of the year and to begin to circulate the Home Readers again in the coming weeks. If there are discrepancies with these letters, please let me know; a lot of books were loaned out before, and also during lockdown, and large number of books have also been returned since we have been back on campus. Your understanding is appreciated as we go through this process. 

Our Library staff would like to send a big thank you to Primary Parents for searching for these books at home.

Mrs Justine Colombo
College Librarian

Enrolment News

Application For Enrolment
Applications continue to pour in for 2022 and beyond, across all Year Groups, but especially our entry years of Transition, Kindergarten, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 11.

All current College families looking to enrol siblings for the coming years are encouraged to do so without delay to avoid disappointment. 

Enrolment packs are available from the College Office or from the College website www.wac.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Kristy Biddle
Enrolments Officer
Ph: 4684 2722

Church Services

Wollondilly Anglican Church
Currently posting pre-recorded messages and services on their YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1LQDtFMRt1RFZQ8KhRC2kA  
If you are interested in attending a Bible Study, or Youth Group and connecting with the community this way, please visit these links for more information
https://wollondillyanglican.org/grown-ups/  
https://wollondillyanglican.org/youth-ministries/  
We also encourage you to check out their website to stay updated with any new information https://wollondillyanglican.org/
Contact them about any enquiries at
https://wollondillyanglican.org/contact/

C3 Picton and Camden
Live-streaming their services on their YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV-SaFqz0okwO85XQE01CKw.
If you would like to find out more information about C3 connect groups, please visit these links:
https://www.c3picton.church/groups
If you would like to know more information about C3 and keep updated please visit their website:
https://www.c3picton.church/
Facebook page:
https://m.facebook.com/C3Picton/
Contact them at:
https://www.c3picton.church/contact

Campbelltown Christian Community Church (C4) 
Services run on Sundays at 10.00 am. Also currently streaming their services on their YouTube channel:

Wollondilly Presbyterian Church
Sunday Service starts a 9.15 am. 
The Service is also streamed on their YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClGGkiM_xP5rCdViW3uo6Xw/featured
They are also holding Church Zoom Calls at 9.15 am on Sundays, if you are interested in connecting to the community in this way, please visit their Facebook page for the links as well as updates, information and to contact about any enquiries.
https://www.facebook.com/WollondillyPC/

Tahmoor Baptist Church
Sunday Service starts a 9.50 am. 
Also streamed at https://www.tahmoorbaptistchurch.org/
If you are interested in attending a Bible Study, or Youth Group and connecting with the community this way, please visit this link for more information
https://www.tahmoorbaptistchurch.org/activities.html

Picton and Wilton Anglican Church
Picton - Sundays 9.30 am – 10.50 am all welcome.
Also live-streamed on Youtube: http://youtube.com/PWAChurches/
Wilton - Sundays 5 pm – 6.20 pm all welcome.
Also live-streamed on Youtube: http://youtube.com/PWAChurches/

Most importantly, we encourage all to meet with God directly and personally through daily reading of The Bible and prayer. This is the best way to get to know who God is and further trust in him during this time. If you don’t have a Bible or don't know where to start, we encourage you to download “You Version” on your device, this is a great resource to assist you in your journey and relationship with God.

The Oaks Anglican Church
Sunday at 10.00 am. Services will also be streamed online live: toa.church/livestream/

Staying connected in the Southern Highlands area.

Highlands Christian Church: 
Sundays at 10.00 am
Online Service:
https://www.facebook.com/highlands.au/videos/highlands-church-online-experience/930979114318498/
Website:
https://www.highlandschristianchurch.org.au/

Highlands Baptist Church
Sundays at 10.30 am
Website:
http://www.highlandsbaptistchurch.org.au/

St Judes (Bowral Anglican)
Sundays at 10.00 am
Website:
https://bowralanglican.org.au/
Online Service:
https://bowralanglican.org.au/online/

Mittagong Anglican
Sundays at 9.30 am & 11.30 am
Website:
https://www.mittang.com.au/
Sermon Archive:
https://www.mittang.com.au/sermons/

C3 
Sundays at 10.30 am
Website:
https://c3destinychurch.com/
Livestream/Video Archive:
https://c3destinychurch.com/sunday-live-stream/

Bowral Baptist
Sundays at 10.00 am
Website:
https://bowralbaptistchurch.net/wordpress/
Video Archive:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCED4wlEz42j6thR9-OsVn4A

Community

WAC Kids Care
From time to time, families undergo trauma such as severe or terminal illness. There are short term support structures in place at the College to assist families during these times.

We have a collection of beautifully prepared meals that are ready for distribution for any families in need.

The WAC Kids Care Program offers support to families in the way of meals. Please contact Mrs Hay or Mrs Rockwell at the College. Confidentiality will be respected. If you know of anyone who may need meals at this time, please contact the College office.

Tahmoor Community Links - Christmas Hampers
As Christmas is just around the corner, we were hoping the College community would want to join us again this year to donate hampers for our Christmas drive. The hampers go out to the most vulnerable in our local community to help ensure they have enough food and goodies to celebrate Christmas. Baskets will be placed outside of Student Reception for donations
http://www.communitylinks.org.au/

Pretend Headmasters